STA golf: Ready to step to the head of the class?

Thursday

Oct 4, 2012 at 10:12 AMOct 4, 2012 at 10:13 AM

By Mike Whaleymwhaley@fosters.com

Thursday, October 4, 2012Picture

Whaley/Democrat photo The St. Thomas Aquinas golf team is hoping to move to the top of the class in Division II. The Saints include in front, from left, Alex Bickford, coach Marc Schoff, Tom Hixon, (back) Sean Kates, TJ Boulanger, Cam Dufault, Brendon Scheffer, Alex Eib and Tim Downs.

DOVER — The St. Thomas Aquinas High School golf team isn't just satisfied to be playing in the Division II tournament today at Canterbury Woods Country Club. They feel they can win the event, which will consist of 18 holes of stroke play.

The Saints are 18-1 and enter the D-II tourney seeded third behind Windham (19-0) and Hanover (18-1). Three other local teams have also qualified: Kingswood (15-4), Oyster River (10-9) and Portsmouth (10-9).

Three other state tournaments are also taking place today at Cochecho Country Club in Dover (D-I) and Newport Country Club (D-III, D-IV).

“I'm excited for this group of young men,” said STA coach Marc Schoff. “In previous years, a realistic goal is to play to your seed or higher. This year if we play higher, we're coming home with a plaque.”

The Saints won their only state title in 1971.

STA can point to one match, ironically its only loss, that gives it the confidence it needs going into today. On Sept. 14, at Loudon Country Club, the Saints lost to perennial power Hanover (the defending champion) by one stroke, 211 to 212.

St. Thomas lost in a tiebreaker, which saw the procedure go the eighth golfer before a winner could be determined. Scoring used the five lowest scores. The two teams were tied after five, and then six and seven. Hanover won at the eighth golfer. Hanover lost its only match to Windham on Sept. 18 by five strokes.

“It proved to us and gave us the hope we can win a state championship,” said junior Tom Hixon, who has the team's lowest nine-hole average at 38.4. “All of us really wanted another chance at them or maybe get to play them on a course we know. It taught us that every man on the team is important.”

“Our top guys need to go low and do what they're capable of,” Hixon added. “Everyone else on the team really needs to make an effort no to make any double bogeys.”

Looking at Canterbury Woods, Boulanger said, “There are definitely some score able holes out there. There are also holes that are going to give us trouble. If you're going to be in trouble, it's about how you react to it. How you're going to salvage a double bogey. It's tricky, but it's also kind of right in front of you. It's definitely a score able course.”

Armed with the knowledge that it has already competed against Hanover, a measuring stick in D-II, the Saints have confidence moving forward.

“We need a concerted effort from everyone involved not to put big numbers on the board,” Schoff added.

No local D-I schools qualified for the team event. Dover is sending Sam Shafer and Grayson Tuttle, while Spaulding will be represented by Ben Breton and Austin Adjutant.